Friday, March 2, 2012

The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church IS absolutely necessary for salvation.

Objection 3
John Pacecho
The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church is not absolutely necessary for salvation.-John Pacecho, The Catholic Legate.
Lionel: The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church have clearly taught that formal membership in the Catholic Church IS absolutely necessary for salvation.

John Pacecho
 The framers of Vatican I, for instance, rejected the Rigorist view outright. Those who are inculpably ignorant and at the same time respond to the grace that God gives them are not consigned to hell, but can, even in that condition, obtain justification.
Lionel: 'Those who are inculpably ignorant and at the same time respond to the grace that God gives them are not consigned to Hell'. These cases are known only to God so they are not explicit exceptions to the dogma outside the church no salvation.
Vatican Council I affirmed the rigorist interpretation of the dogma according to text quoted here.

'Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church.'-Vatican Council I. The text of the 'dogma of faith', Cantate Domino, Council of Florence is that of the rigorist interpretation.

John Pacecho
 Vatican II, of course, was quite explicit in accepting the broad view of this question. Those who are not at fault by remaining outside the visible boundaries of the Church can still be saved. See Appendix 3 for the clear evidence of this belief as well as the authority of the Magisterium to authoritatively interpret all doctrines of the Church.-John Pacecho
                                                                    APPENDIX 3
Vatican Councils
VATICAN I
7. No one can be saved outside the church.
Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church. On the other hand, those who labor under invincible ignorance concerning Christ and his church are not to be damned to eternal punishment on account of such ignorance, since they incur no guilt for this in the eyes of the Lord, who wishes all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, and who does not deny grace to a person who is doing what lies in his power, so that such a one can obtain justification and eternal life. But no one obtains this who dies in a culpable state of separation from the unity of the faith or the communion of the church. Anyone who is not in the ark of salvation will perish in the prevailing flood." (Sacrorum conciliorum nova collectio, 541-542.)

Lionel: Vatican Council I clearly teaches that formal membership in the Catholic Church is absoluteley necessary for salvation.'Moreover it is a dogma of faith, that no one can be saved outside the church.'
'Anyone who is not in the ark of salvation will perish in the prevailing flood.' (Sacrorum conciliorum nova collectio, 541-542.)

In Session 4, chapter 3, Vatican I says:
Wherefore we teach and declare that, by divine ordinance, the Roman Church possesses a pre-eminence of ordinary power over every other Church, and that this jurisdictional power of the Roman Pontiff is both Episcopal and immediate. Both clergy and faithful, of whatever rite and dignity, both singly and collectively, are bound to submit to this power by the duty of hierarchical subordination and true obedience, and this not only in matters concerning faith and morals, but also in those which regard the discipline and government of the Church throughout the world.
Lionel: We have above the rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus.

John Pacecho.
 Further down this same session says:
Since the Roman Pontiff, by the divine right of the apostolic primacy, governs the whole Church, we likewise teach and declare that he is the supreme judge of the faithful, and that in all cases which fall under ecclesiastical jurisdiction recourse may be had to his judgment. The sentence of the Apostolic See (than which there is no higher authority) is not subject to revision by anyone, nor may anyone lawfully pass judgment thereupon. And so they stray from the genuine path of truth who maintain that it is lawful to appeal from the judgments of the Roman pontiffs to an ecumenical council as if this were an authority superior to the Roman Pontiff.
So, then, if anyone says that the Roman Pontiff has merely an office of supervision and guidance, and not the full and supreme power of jurisdiction over the whole Church, and this not only in matters of faith and morals, but also in those which concern the discipline and government of the Church dispersed throughout the whole world; or that he has only the principal part, but not the absolute fullness, of this supreme power; or that this power of his is not ordinary and immediate both over all and each of the Churches and over all and each of the pastors and faithful: let him be anathema.

Lionel: The Magisterium of the Church is accepted. The Magisterium has alwys affirmed the dogma of the faith on extra ecclesiam nulla salus. The text of the dogma is that of the rigorist interpretation. It does not mention any defacto exceptions.
VATICAN II

CONSTITUTION ON DIVINE REVELATION (Dei Verbum): "10. Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. Holding fast to this deposit the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always steadfast in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking of the bread and in prayers (see Acts 2, 42, Greek text), so that holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it becomes on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort. But THE TASK OF AUTHENTICALLY INTERPRETING THE WORD OF GOD, WHETHER WRITTEN OR HANDED ON, HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE LIVING TEACHING OFFICE OF THE CHURCH whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God, but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed."

Lionel: The Magisetrium mention in Vatican Council II (Dei Verbum) is accepted. Vatican Council II also like the popes and Councils of the past affirm the rigorist interpretation of the dogma extra ecclesiam nulla salus. It says all need to enter the Church with Catholic Faith and the baptism of water for salvation (to avoid Hell)-Ad Gentes 7, Lumen Gentium 14.

Therefore, all must be converted to Him, made known by the Church's preaching, and all must be incorporated into Him by baptism and into the Church which is His body. For Christ Himself "by stressing in express language the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5), at the same time confirmed the necessity of the Church, into which men enter by baptism, as by a door.-Ad Gentes 7

Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church.-Lumen Gentium 14

Other Magisterial documents after Vatican Council II have the same message.

Above all else, it must be firmly believed that “the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door”. This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); “it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation”.- Dominus Iesus 20

Vatican Council II, Lumen Gentium 16 (invincible ignorance) is not an exception to Ad Gentes 7. Since we do not know any explicit case of a non Catholic saved in invincible ignorance or with a good conscience. In principle we accept this possibility. In reality we do not know any such case which would be an exception to the dogma outside the church no salvation.
Vatican II, LG #16: "For they who without their own fault do not know of the Gospel of Christ and His Church, but yet seek God with sincere heart, and try, under the influence of grace, to carry out His will in practice, known to them through the dictate of conscience, can attain eternal salvation." _

The Vatican Councils of the Catholic Church cited here clearly teach  that formal membership in the Catholic Church is necessary for salvation.-Lionel Andrades
http://catholic-legate.com/Apologetics/Ultra-Traditionalism/Articles/ObjectionsToRigorism.aspx

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